450-C Final Drive-Transmission

[Push-It-Up]

I have a John Deere 450-C now for about 5 years, and from the day i bout it, it never seemed to to push as good as my 350-C (small beast).
This week i decided to make it or break it. The dozer has several issues most of which is just nuts and bolts. But the question i have is in prior years someone engineered a break adjuster locking device as the right side break has allways been really weak. Anyways i found the adjuster was broken and or the links to the break band wasnt aligned correctly.

My major problem is the final drives are both completely full of oil, when i remove the adjuster plug oil pours out. After i bought it i found this when i was changing oil and filters, i called the guy and ask what have you done to me, and he replied its allways been that way.
I know thats not right and would like to understand more how the two (final drives and transmission have shared oils) i assume thats the only way oil from the trans is getting into the finals.

I just bought this this thing to use around my farm and now have a real expensive project. I told my wife last night we could do one of three things,
1. Spend the Money to Fix it,
2. Cut it up sell it for Scrap Iron,
3. Park it outside some where let grass and trees grow-up around it.

I prefer option one its a good machine just needs some TLC.

Hopefully you guys can help.

Thanks

Push-it-Up
Louisiana

[DrLoch]

Read this thread he has the same issue, final full of oil. http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/ ... php?t=9734

[pdmech08]

First off, the final drives do NOT share oil with the transmission/reverser. The finals are a separate compartment. The steering clutch housings DO "share" oil with transmission/reverser on the later 450c's. Lets start with the early 450c's. The early C has a steering clutch that runs in trans oil. This compartment is filled separately and has no "true" connection to the transmission. However since the steering clutches use pressurized oil from the transmission it is inevitable that some of that pressurized oil leaks into the steering housing over time. This causes the steering housings to overfill with oil. The later C's had a provision for this excess oil to return to the trans. If you have finals that are overfull the only thing I can think of is that the steering housings are becoming pressurized and forcing oil past the pinion seal into the final drive. This seems unlikely but not impossible I suppose. hope this helps.. Steve. www.sadygerts.com

[jtrichard]

I do NOT have a 450 so i may be wrong....... I would say that the "FINAL" that he is talking about is really the clutch housing as he says "the adjusting plug" just a Thought

[pdmech08]

Yes. I think so too JT.

[Dave D]

Old subject but I am having the same issue, always adding transmission oil or the HLR stops working on incline. Always dripping out around the brake lever entry and cover on right side clutch housing. I am thinking about getting an new 3/4 square drive plug, tapping it and running a tube into a small tank instead of all over the ground. This way I can recycle the oil until such time as I can open the tranny and modify it for a common reservoir. When I pulled the 3/4 drive plug, there was pressure built up in the housing. What I am wondering is, is the lower 1/2 square drive plug that is angled, the "fill level plug" and the one I should be tapping into? By the way I have a 1974 non-turbo 450C.